Personal View of the Mormon Woman

I haven't blogged in a while.  I've been rather busy with life and such.  I feel a sense of excitement and joy when I write so my mind has been wandering around several topics but not really settling on any.  Today, however a topic entered my mind and immediately I knew I had to write about it.  Not only am I passionate about this topic, but as I thought about it, my heart felt like it was swelling inside of me.  I was filled with a sense of purpose and power and was sure this was the topic to write about.  Let me first clarify that the name of the religion or church I belong to is The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, sometimes shortened to LDS.  We even refer to ourselves by using the nickname "Mormon".  So in this blog, I may use any of the 3 names interchangeably.  

There seems to be talk out there about the LDS church not allowing women the same privileges or leadership opportunities as men.  Such a misconception.  Let me repeat that in case you didn't catch it the first time.  SUCH A MISCONCEPTION!  I've been a member of the LDS church since I was born.  My 1st memory in church was when I was about 3 or 4.  I was standing at the pulpit in front of the whole congregation.  I still remember my subject.  I was telling the members about a mother's love.  We're taught and given the opportunity to speak in front of the congregation starting at the age of 3, both boys and girls alike.  I was given many opportunities to do that very thing with a variety of topics.  Then at age 12, we're given leadership duties over a group of our peers.  We learn these skills under the direction of women who have been given the assignment to prepare us for the day when we, in turn, will lead and teach other children and young women.  As adults, women are given even more responsibility and assignments.  Women lead the youth groups, ages 3 thru 11 and also young women groups ages 12 thru 18.  We plan, coordinate, teach, and inspire these youth.  They are placed in our care, or under our stewardship.  Again as adults, we're given the assignment on occasion, to speak to the congregation from the pulpit.  Some religions call this preaching.  We simply call it "giving a talk".  We can be given a teaching assignment where we stand in front of a class of both adult men and women and teach scripture and the associated gospel doctrines that are taught through the scriptures.  Other religions might require ordination for the things we LDS women do on an ongoing basis.  I have personally sat in counsels with other leaders of the ward (congregation) where my opinion and the opinion of other women leaders is not only accepted, but asked for and respected.  These counsels take place all over the world in their respective geographical wards, (over 29,000 congregations) with women leaders in every ward around the globe.  In addition to the women who carry out these ward leadership duties, there are women in our stakes with respective duties.  A stake is comprised of several wards combined.  And we have women who oversee all the wards and stakes.  They are located at church headquarters in Salt Lake City.  They travel the world to see to the needs of the various local ward leaders.  They sit in counsels with the general leadership of the worldwide church.  And just as I have sat in local ward counsels, they too contribute to the overall leadership as they sit in these worldwide leadership counsels.  Women teach in our Seminaries and Institutes.  They travel all over the world conducting workshops and conventions.  They organize and carry out humanitarian aid all over the world.  At age 19, women can teach gospel principles on a full time mission for 18 months.  And, I haven't even told you about our Relief Society yet.  Saving the best for last.  Relief Society is the largest worldwide organization for women.  The Relief Society is for women and lead by women.  Let me tell you about its beginnings.  In the early days of the church, women wanted to help the cause of building a temple.  They gathered and made a plan.  They even wrote down some rules and bylaws in  order to organize themselves.  They took this to the leadership of the church for approval.  Joseph Smith could have simply agreed that it looked good and let them proceed, but he did more than that.  He supported their actions and desire.  He helped them by setting up leadership for this organization.  Women were "set apart" by priesthood authority to lead this organization.  In other words, they were given rights and powers to lead and direct.  Women leaders today are given the same powers under the direction of the priesthood to lead in their respective duties.  We don't call this an ordination, but other churches would call it that.  And back to the beginnings of the Relief Society.  This took place in 1842.  Women hadn't even been given the right to vote in the U.S.  Overall, women weren't given the same education opportunities as men.  They were not allowed to have any leadership duties in any of the current religions of that time period.  Joseph Smith was a busy man.  He was overseeing the building of a temple.  He was enduring personal persecutions as well as persecutions to the general membership of the church.  He had a lot on his plate, so to speak.  It was not customary in that time period for women to be educated or given responsibility.  Yet, Joseph and the other leaders of the church took the time to teach the women of the church, to help them learn the leadership skills needed.  Does this sound like a church that suppresses women or doesn't value their ability and contributions?  I don't think so.  And this was not just the way a few leaders of the church handled things, it was the beginning of a pattern that continued.  I have a great great grandmother who was given leadership duties in the Relief Society in the latter part of the 1800s.  Today women all over the world participate in these assignments.  

So back to some of those misconceptions.  The LDS church does not suppress women.  It builds us up, it empowers us.  It does not consider women weak or insignificant.  It values us and our various talents and contributions.  It does not simply tolerate us, it welcomes us and encourages us to participate and contribute.  The LDS church did not start allowing women into leadership roles to satisfy current political correctness.  Rather it organized and set women leaders apart under priesthood authority in 1842 when allowing those rights and privileges to women was a most unpopular thing to do.  It has been consistent ever since.  

Yes, we Mormon women come in all shapes and sizes, all colors too.  We bring a lot of different abilities and talents to the table.  In the leadership of the church, both men and women bring their talents and abilities.  There are roles that only women can fill and roles that only men can fill.  I personally wouldn't want to have to fill the role of the men leaders in my ward.  I simply don't have time with everything else that I do.  To be quite honest, I wouldn't want to turn my roles over to the men either.  They couldn't handle it.  A baseball team with 9 pitchers filling the 9 positions on the field wouldn't get very far.  Each talent and offering is needed and valuable.

Simply put, this Mormon woman feels grateful to be part of a church that understands and teaches the divine role of the woman.  To be respected for the talents I have and given the constant opportunity to improve and gain more as I go and learn.  To feel valuable and appreciated for my contributions great or small.